Today’s Headlines:

KIDNAPPERS MURDER IRAQI CHURCH ELDER, NAB ANOTHER CLERGYMAN

CHINESE SEMINARY TO COMPLETE NEW CAMPUS IN 2008

PAKISTANI CHRISTIAN CLEARED OF BLASPHEMY CHARGES

CHRISTIAN BAND, BAPTISTS END MISSIONS-FOCUSED CONCERT TOUR

Today’s Top Stories:

KIDNAPPERS MURDER IRAQI CHURCH ELDER, NAB ANOTHER CLERGYMAN

Grieving Christians in Iraq’s northern city of Mosul completed three days of mourning for a murdered Presbyterian Church elder Sunday, Dec. 3, only hours before another Iraqi clergyman was grabbed off the streets of Baghdad Monday morning. Identified only as 69-year-old Elder Munthir, the murdered Christian was kidnapped after leading worship services at the National Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Mosul on Sunday, Nov. 26. His body was found four days later. He is the second Iraqi Christian clergyman to be murdered in Mosul within the past two months. According to one Mosul source who described the kidnappers’ conversations, “They said, ‘We will cut his throat. We will take revenge for the pope’s words. . . . We will kill all the Christians, and we will start with him.'” In Baghdad the Chaldean Catholic Patriarchate confirmed that another clergyman, Father Samy Abdulahad, was kidnapped Monday morning from his car as he left his church in the Al-Sinaa district of the capital near the University of Technology. (Compass Direct News)

On Monday, Dec. 4, a prosecuting attorney in Havana, Cuba, recommended evangelical Pastor Rev. Carlos Lamellas be acquitted of all charges of trafficking in illegal emigrants. Lamelas was jailed for four months earlier this year following a surprise police raid of his home on Feb. 20. Despite the motion for acquittal, Lamelas must await the judge’s decision on sentencing for another one to two months before the case is finally put to rest. Sources inside Cuba believe Lamelas has been targeted for official harassment because he challenged the Castro regime on religious rights issues. While serving as president of the national board of the Church of God, Lamelas refused to sign what amounted to a loyalty pledge to the Castro regime and resisted government interference in church affairs. Lamelas credits international attention for securing his unexpected release on June 26, a move Cuban authorities attributed to “a change in procedure.” Massive amounts of mail for Lamelas during his incarceration prompted one prison official to tell Lamelas’ wife, Uramis, “tell your husband’s friends to stop sending him letters.” (Compass Direct News)

* HCJB World Radio continues to air Spanish programs to Cuba via shortwave from South America. Hundreds of listeners have enrolled in the ministry’s Bible Institute of the Air, a Spanish correspondence program incorporating radio broadcasts. In addition, numerous pastors’ workshops held in conjunction with Leadership Resources International have been held in Cuba since the mid-1990s.

CHINESE SEMINARY TO COMPLETE NEW CAMPUS IN 2008

Nanjing Union Theological Seminary, the largest of 17 theological institutions in China, is set to expand upon the completion of a new campus in 2008. Known as the national seminary of the Church in China, the seminary was established more than 50 years ago by China’s sanctioned Protestant church, Three-Self Patriotic Movement. Episcopal Bishop David J. H. Lai of Taiwan made his first official visit to the seminary on Wednesday, Nov. 29, in order to exchange information and “develop a deeper understanding of Christianity in the country,” he said. “It is encouraging to witness the seminary equipping students with the spiritual training and knowledge that enables them to meet the needs of pastoral counseling and theological education in the Chinese churches.” In addition to training pastoral workers, teachers and researchers, the seminary works toward building unity between believers and non-believers. In order to promote the overall development of students, the seminary emphasizes “spirit, virtue, knowledge, health and community.” (Episcopal News Service)

PAKISTANI CHRISTIAN CLEARED OF BLASPHEMY CHARGES

On Monday, Nov. 27, a Pakistani court acquitted 30-year-old Christian woman Nasim Bibi of charges of blasphemy. Bibi was charged with the crime on March 3 following claims she defecated on a picture of a Muslim holy place in Saudi Arabia. Sharing Life Ministries lawyers defended Bibi, saying there was a one-week delay between initial reports and the charges and no witnesses were reported. Bibi has been free on bail since a judge allowed a bond equivalent to US$833. Bibi’s husband works as a janitor, and the couple has three young daughters and a son. Recent acquittals of three blasphemy cases in Pakistan support the notion that these laws are being misused against religious minorities. (Assist News Service)

CHRISTIAN BAND, BAPTISTS END MISSIONS-FOCUSED CONCERT TOUR

A national concert tour by Christian band SONICFLOOd aimed to do more than simply entertain listeners. More than 26,000 students heard SONICFLOOd’s contemporary worship music but were also exposed to media aiming to encourage young people toward missionary service and teach them about God’s desire to reach all nations. The 57-city tour recently ended in Hampton, Va., after 11 weeks partnering with the Southern Baptist International Mission Board (IMB) to create a concert event coupled with video and still images of mission work, multimedia presentations and student testimonies about missions. Lead singer Rick Heil hoped the participants would be inspired to evaluate what it means to follow Christ. Mike Lopez, IMB’s director of student mobilization, said, “As SONICFLOOd led us in the worship of God, God began to work in people’s hearts. As people watched the videos, heard the testimonies and learned about global needs, they began to respond.” Out of more than 1,000 decision cards turned in during the tour, 58 students reported coming to know Christ as a result of the concerts. Another 423 made public decisions to pursue God’s call to missions. (Baptist Press)

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